ABC Kitchen is Jean Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez's ode to farm to table cooking -- greenmarket focused, local, organic and sustainable cuisine in a beautifully designed space, named Best New Restaurant of 2011 by the James Beard Foundation. Tonight we went for a celebratory meal at a place loved by all.
So what did we have?
We split three small vegetable plates to start, two from their market table (or tapas section) and one that was considered a side:
First up was roasted brussels sprouts with extra virgin olive oil and rosemary -- caramelized to perfection, these little seasonal babies just melted in your mouth. Next up was roasted butternut squash with Parmesan and pumpkin seeds. Cubes of perfectly cooked butternut squash infused with that creamy, nutty, caramelly punch of grated Parmesan and the slight crunch of pumpkin seeds -- an ode to autumnal seasonal cooking. Lastly was a portabello and celery leaf preparation that did not impress -- the concept was inspired but we weren't impressed with the final product. Our mains however most certainly made up for that. We split their special butterhead lettuce salad with watermelon radishes and a homemade pistachio crumble vinaigrette along with their braised halibut with cabbage, chillies and seaweed. Combining the two into a warm salad was the perfect mixture of crunchy, savory, vegetal, aromatic, nutty goodness! Each and every morsel was fresh, seasonal and delish! We could not have asked for a better celebratory meal!
A place after my own heart, each dish on the menu sounded better than the last, somewhere I could always return to and find something new to have. ABC Kitchen succeeds with its goal of being a market driven, local, sustainable and organic restaurant and boy was it a treat to dine there this evening.
ABC Kitchen
35 East 18th Street
NYC
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Day 635 : Marathoning.
Congratulations to all the NYC marathon finishers today, what a feat! The NYC marathon is unlike any other -- it's bigger in numbers of participants and spectators than any other race and boy does it have the most fabulous allure. Watching it, if you've never run it, makes you want to pick up distance running and do it, it is just so awe inspiring. For me watching it makes me wish I had run it again this year but there will be plenty more years to come.
Running for me is my stress relief, my time to think and to unwind; my time to meditate and ponder day to day life and all of life's questions -- running makes me me just in the same way my love of cheese, wine, beer and all things food makes me me.
The NYC marathon is sponsored by Grana Padano and I think that's somewhat fitting. It takes this Italian cheese more than a year to grow into its ideal flavor profile -- traditionally longer than it takes one to train for a marathon but it sure shows the perseverance is key to a successful finish just like a marathon. It goes excellently with your pre race carbo loading of pasta or post race celebration of nibbles and drinks. In terms of flavor profile, there's something quite ideal and necessary about the salty savoriness of this cheese -- salt is necessary after running a marathon and why not have some grana padano instead of salt packets?
So congrats all you NYC finishers and here's to my Philly marathon in two weeks!
Running for me is my stress relief, my time to think and to unwind; my time to meditate and ponder day to day life and all of life's questions -- running makes me me just in the same way my love of cheese, wine, beer and all things food makes me me.
The NYC marathon is sponsored by Grana Padano and I think that's somewhat fitting. It takes this Italian cheese more than a year to grow into its ideal flavor profile -- traditionally longer than it takes one to train for a marathon but it sure shows the perseverance is key to a successful finish just like a marathon. It goes excellently with your pre race carbo loading of pasta or post race celebration of nibbles and drinks. In terms of flavor profile, there's something quite ideal and necessary about the salty savoriness of this cheese -- salt is necessary after running a marathon and why not have some grana padano instead of salt packets?
So congrats all you NYC finishers and here's to my Philly marathon in two weeks!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Day 634 : Cheeses for a Girls Movie Night
Good friends, good times, good food, and a good movie are how I plan to spend my Saturday evening...Guess what I'm bringing over?
You guessed it! Cheese!
Which ones?
I decided to get three of my favorite American artisanal cheeses for our movie night:
1. Cremont - A mixed goat and cow's milk cheese with a dollop of cream added in. Crafted by Vermont Butter and Cheese, it is light and tangy, citrusy and grassy and creamy in all the right sort of ways. Crafted as a celebration of Vermont's terroir and boy is it!
2. Carmody - Made entirely with Jersey cow's milk, this Sonoma crafted cheese is silky smooth. Sweet and buttery with hints of nuttiness, this Bellwether Farms original is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
3. Point Reyes Blue - One of my all time favorite West Coasters, this blue cheese is all spice and piquant notes with a fabulous round creaminess to it.
You guessed it! Cheese!
Which ones?
I decided to get three of my favorite American artisanal cheeses for our movie night:
1. Cremont - A mixed goat and cow's milk cheese with a dollop of cream added in. Crafted by Vermont Butter and Cheese, it is light and tangy, citrusy and grassy and creamy in all the right sort of ways. Crafted as a celebration of Vermont's terroir and boy is it!
2. Carmody - Made entirely with Jersey cow's milk, this Sonoma crafted cheese is silky smooth. Sweet and buttery with hints of nuttiness, this Bellwether Farms original is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
3. Point Reyes Blue - One of my all time favorite West Coasters, this blue cheese is all spice and piquant notes with a fabulous round creaminess to it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Day 633 : What to buy right now from Murray's Cheese
New from the Murray's Cheese Cave Aged Line is the Little Big Apple!
The base of Little Big Apple is the decadently creamy Organic Triple Cream from Champlain Valley Creamery in Vergennes, Vermont. This little guy is crafted with cultured whole milk and cream -- it is the perfect melt in your mouth sort of cheese. Hints of mushroomy earthiness from the bloomy rind and a buttery milky interior abound. Once our Organic Triple Cream cheese arrives at Murray's caves it is wrapped in local apple leaves that have been soaked in local New York state apple brandy. It is then aged for a few more weeks. Then it is ready to enjoy! Yes you still have the mushroom creaminess of the triple cream but now you also have a fabulously fantastic slight rustic earthy sweetness. A true delight and perfect for the Fall! Go out and grab one at Murray's for $10.99 and enjoy it with an off dry Cider from Eve's Cidery or Bellwether Farm's Cider. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
Image courtesy of http://www.murrayscheese.com/
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Day 632 : How to Save / How to Splurge Dispatch # 36
In scanning my brain as to what to write for today's dispatch, my mind was triggered by a simple caprese salad I had last night at Lusardi's. I got to thinking about the small monetary difference between buying a mozzarella encased in plastic and those buffalo mozzarellas that are sold sitting in water. Why spend the extra few dollars to get the softer, more luscious, creamy mozzarella right? Well the difference between the ball in plastic costing you five dollars or under and the ball in water costing you closer to ten is the moisture content in the cheese. By dialing up the moisture you dial up the smooth unctuousness of the cheese and there for just a few extra dollars you are able to transform an average everyday cheese into a special occasion cheese. Sometimes as well all know spending a few extra dollars goes far...
As an end note, I know you are thinking can't I buy the cheap version and put it in water? Save the money but still get the appropriate tastes that I want? Sure you can try it but it simply won't be as good or as satisfying as the actual buffalo mozzarella purchased as the cheesemaker intended to have the cheese rest.
Maybe this isn't that go buy this instead of that sort of post, but its one of those posts that is meant to make you as a Fromagical reader think about the difference in taste and flavor profile one receives between these two different mozzarellas and other cheeses...sometimes spending an extra $3 to $5 totally changes your cheese eating experience for the better...
As an end note, I know you are thinking can't I buy the cheap version and put it in water? Save the money but still get the appropriate tastes that I want? Sure you can try it but it simply won't be as good or as satisfying as the actual buffalo mozzarella purchased as the cheesemaker intended to have the cheese rest.
Maybe this isn't that go buy this instead of that sort of post, but its one of those posts that is meant to make you as a Fromagical reader think about the difference in taste and flavor profile one receives between these two different mozzarellas and other cheeses...sometimes spending an extra $3 to $5 totally changes your cheese eating experience for the better...
Day 631 : SCS Version 9.0, Dispatch #3
Coming at you a little late, but be prepared for back to back doses of Fromagical posts today...
Diving right into this week's cheese selection from Mexico and Texas, I went with firm cheeses from each locale...
Hailing from Texas and the Veldhuizen Family Farm in Dublin is Paragon. This cheese was concocted by Stuart Veldhuizen while he was experimenting with cheese recipes and boy was it a welcome surprise. Crafted with cow's milk and aged for approximately three months, it is a semi firm cheese that does an excellent job at coating each and every crevice of your mouth. Tangy and slightly nutty with a buttery milky caramelly roundness, it sure is a crowd pleaser, easily approachable yet unique and delish.
And what of our Mexican counterpart?
How about Queso Anejo? It is crafted most of the time with skimmed cow's milk but is meant to be made with skimmed goat's milk, which as we know is hard to come by in Mexico. It has that classic Parmesan consistency with excellent aged crystallization, hints of butterscotch and caramelly nuttiness with a nice amount of salty savory tang on the tongue. Over the course of it's aging process it is coated in paprika which dials up the aromatic spiciness of the cheese. It is utilized widely in Mexican cooking and is perfect for baking and grilling purposes.
Diving right into this week's cheese selection from Mexico and Texas, I went with firm cheeses from each locale...
Hailing from Texas and the Veldhuizen Family Farm in Dublin is Paragon. This cheese was concocted by Stuart Veldhuizen while he was experimenting with cheese recipes and boy was it a welcome surprise. Crafted with cow's milk and aged for approximately three months, it is a semi firm cheese that does an excellent job at coating each and every crevice of your mouth. Tangy and slightly nutty with a buttery milky caramelly roundness, it sure is a crowd pleaser, easily approachable yet unique and delish.
Image courtesy of http://www.houstondairymaids.com/
And what of our Mexican counterpart?
How about Queso Anejo? It is crafted most of the time with skimmed cow's milk but is meant to be made with skimmed goat's milk, which as we know is hard to come by in Mexico. It has that classic Parmesan consistency with excellent aged crystallization, hints of butterscotch and caramelly nuttiness with a nice amount of salty savory tang on the tongue. Over the course of it's aging process it is coated in paprika which dials up the aromatic spiciness of the cheese. It is utilized widely in Mexican cooking and is perfect for baking and grilling purposes.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Day 630 : A bit of a change up today, SCS spotlights will return tomorrow.
I decided I had to do a bit of a change up today because I simply wanted to explain how I felt returning to the Cellars at Beechers last night. Each time I go, although I like the atmosphere, the wine list, the mac n' cheese and other food options, I always am disappointed with their cheese selections. Yes of course they have the cheeses that they produce themselves, each fabulous in its own way, but the other cheeses that they fill their list with are not necessarily the cheeses that I would choose when just one flight upstairs they have an excellent selection of American artisanal cheeses. And even if they did keep the same list, I would expect to see way more than fifteen options.
They have the Northeastern greats like Kunik, Bayley Hazen Blue, Rupert, Ouray and the such and the Western greats like Rogue River's Blue and Bellwether farms' Carmody to name a few. But I think it would be fantastic since to really delve deeply into an exploration of American cheeses and split up their cheese selections in the Cellar into areas of the country and allow people to explore the different types of cheeses crafted in places as far flung as Iowa, Maine, Georgia, Illinois, and more. They have the added benefit of being one of the only retail, production, and consumption cheese locations in the city -- you can go buy some cheese, watch it be made, and then enjoy that cheese downstairs with a glass of wine all in the same space! They shouldn't just have a decent cheese list, they should go above and beyond!
Don't get me wrong, I think the Cellars at Beechers are great for a drink and a nibble with friends but I just wish that they took what they have done with their cheese production and cheese retail and extended it a little further into their cheese offerings. I will definitely be back many times as it is such a nice meeting place.
Beechers
900 Broadway
NYC
They have the Northeastern greats like Kunik, Bayley Hazen Blue, Rupert, Ouray and the such and the Western greats like Rogue River's Blue and Bellwether farms' Carmody to name a few. But I think it would be fantastic since to really delve deeply into an exploration of American cheeses and split up their cheese selections in the Cellar into areas of the country and allow people to explore the different types of cheeses crafted in places as far flung as Iowa, Maine, Georgia, Illinois, and more. They have the added benefit of being one of the only retail, production, and consumption cheese locations in the city -- you can go buy some cheese, watch it be made, and then enjoy that cheese downstairs with a glass of wine all in the same space! They shouldn't just have a decent cheese list, they should go above and beyond!
Don't get me wrong, I think the Cellars at Beechers are great for a drink and a nibble with friends but I just wish that they took what they have done with their cheese production and cheese retail and extended it a little further into their cheese offerings. I will definitely be back many times as it is such a nice meeting place.
Beechers
900 Broadway
NYC
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